November 16, 2007

EDIT: Please cut and paste the url above into your browser if clicking on it doesn't work!

That is where we will post all photos of MFS tours, tour news, CD announcements, concerts and news of dad's health etc., from.

I will not be blogging at this, www.caroljoy.blogspot.com, blog with personal posts until May of next year. I will reserve the right to post here about my favorite guy running for the presidency, RON PAUL!! Please, check his website out : www.RonPaul2008.com.

November 01, 2007

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

As some of you may know….we did leave home again! By the time this is posted we will be home. In just two months, Lord willing we will be leaving in January for 9 weeks. Our local calendar has been filling for the next few months; the next local engagement is Thursday.

Well, our weekend sure was full and diverse. First, we sang for the first time in Lancaster, PA. Then in the evening we went to hear the Wissmann family sing! What an incredible blessing they were. Our hearts were touched and encouraged.

Oh and Bethany P. and I just happened to be wearing the same skirt. Not literally, of course.

We left and parked at the firehouse in Concordville the next morning and we all (except for dad and Papa) piled into the van and SUV and went to down town Philadelphia, Independence Mall to be precise, for a Ron Paul rally! Woooooo!!!

Here are a ’few’ pictures from our day.

Bonnie and Bethany P. checking something out….

We saw many interesting buildings. It would be great fun to spend a week or two down town taking pictures.

Our faithful you tuber , Bonnie!

You can check her videos out here.

Now this is part of the crowd - there would have been no way to get a picture of the whole group. We were guessing a couple thousand people showed up. ( Six thousand by some estimates.)

Bethany wanted a picture of these boots.

You can see the field behind it covered in white ’head stones’ standing as memorials to the soldiers killed. When we left we stuck our flags in the ground in front of individual stones.

The crowd was really big so us short people ended up on tippy toe and on each other shoulders in some cases.

Ron Paul, Ron Paul, Ron Paul….YAY!!!

Exciting, huh?

Oliver, who actually appeared to have some tv cameras on him, is getting a lift from his big bro here, as he lifts the flag.

And, folks, here is the man himself!

He had some good things to talk about. To everyone who have a problem with Ron Paul’s ’anti-war’ position, will you please consider the fact that the Constitution is more important than any war. If we don’t follow the constitution what do we have? The mess we’re in now overseas and not to mention the domestic issues, like the fading dollar, socialized medicine, limited personal freedom. The only hope and key to getting back on the right road is to start following the law. I know, sometimes it’s difficult to see through the issues, but the fact of the matter is we’re in big trouble now and we’ll keep sinking if something isn’t done.

Nathan and Peter were running around the camera so all of these are theirs. : )

Afterward CNN had their time:

A familiar smiling face in the crowd. Hey Izzy!

One crazy soprano, Izzy, and one cute yodeling youtuber posing for a pic.

Plenty of people wanted an autograph and a handshake!

Nathan was able to get through to the front and shake his hand. We all wanted to shake Nathan’s hand after that.

Please pray for this country and for Ron Paul.

You can find more information about Ron Paul and see Dr. Paul speaking at this rally @ www.ronpaul2008.com

OH and there were a ton of cameras there.

We were all quite tired that evening ( at least I was ) as we ate supper. We enjoyed our time with the Kocher’s and part of the P family. Thank you all for being so hospitable and kind.

Sunday morning flowers at the fire station…..

Singing Sunday morning - thanks due to Daniel for the pictures.

Guess what we did on Sunday night?!

That's right! Another concert!

You’ve got Mr. K to thank for these also.

The kids all found joy in playing the organ.

Oh why is Bonnie on the floor? She’s playing the pedals. : P

After this weekend, I’m certainly looking forward to what God is doing in me. Walking through difficult terrain isn’t easy. Thankfully, as always, at the waiting place I have THE Guide with me. This Guide will not leave, forsake me or leave me alone. Always persevering to complete His will, never faltering, never making a mistake, never late is my Guide, my Creator. May I be moldable and pliable, like clay in His hand. I know the practiced patience of the oldest of 8 in this family is going to be stretched again to new heights. I’m always finding there are always new ways to practice the ‘p’ word. There is never a dull moment here! Life is exciting, it’s just always the exciting we expected. I pray through all these difficult and sometime uncomfortable paths God will have His will done and receive ALL the glory.

Please, continue to pray for my dad. He’s not doing well and is continuing on this seemly endless downward spiral of pain, weight loss and a nauseated stomach. Thank you everyone who has been praying. Edit: We got a call tonight from some who saw mom's request for help on getting the little bugs you can eat to make you get better and they might be able to help dad out. We'll see how that goes.

We sang this morning for about 100 school children, staff and few stray visitors and now we’re on the way home. Psalm 59:16 & 17

Christians, won’t that be a great day when we all really go HOME? I’m looking forward to it.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or morning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

Edit:Iowa GOP and Ron Paul Campaign Headquarters: Ron Paul is not out of the debateBy Kat | November 8, 2007

LB interviewed the Iowa GOP and Iowa Ron Paul 2008 campaign headquarters. In a live interview on the Soapbox Spectacle, John Zambanini made clear there is no attempt to prevent Dr. Paul from participating in the December 4th debates. Polling of Iowa voters by American Research Group and the Des Moines Register indicated the 5% threshold has been reached. Mr. Zambanini stated that “the campaign would like to remain on friendly terms with the state GOP and any effort to call them in response to claims of Dr. Paul being excluded should be avoided.” Please do not call the Iowa GOP.

Rasmussen shows Ron Paul currently polling at 5% following the November 5th fundraising blitz.

This isn't just about Ron Paul, folks. This is about free speech! Regardless of who you are for free speech is essential to any race.

To: Republican National Committe

It is a serious assault on Free Speech when the RNC and other GOP Factions seek to bar the speech of an official candidate for President in the race for the Republican nomination. Ron Paul is under attack by FOX News and various analysts who actually believe he should be removed from debates and the party itself.

The Republican Party and the RNC are afraid that a real candidate would jeopardize their hijacking of conservative issues. It is clear that a real candidate like Ron Paul would reinstate adherence to the Constitutional intent of government-- a far cry from the current direction the party is being led in.

BUT REGARDLESS of whether you love or hate Ron Paul or the Republican Party, one must stand up for and defend the right to Free Speech. Ron Paul is the FRONT RUNNER in this race-- he won every major poll regarding the first Presidential debate and won the majority of polls pertaining to the second debate aired by Fox News. He came in second place in the FOX poll-- despite ongoing on-air bashing and calls for his removal from the race and the party itself during the poll.

The Republican primary is the tool the people use to decide which candidate will prevail-- it is not the duty of talking heads and pundits to bully and cull candidates who should be decided by VOTERS.

The Republican Party leadership are now officially put on notice that the whole country and world are witnesses to their concerted effort to rig the debate process. It’s not a secret that party operatives are attempting to cheat the debate process and block Ron Paul from appearing in further debates.

The call to ban Ron Paul from further debates is a clear attempt to block the First Amendment and will be seen by the public for what it is -- cheating.

William F. Buckley recently stated that the Republican Party’s very existence is in danger. This new neo-con attack on our electoral process is treasonous and if not reversed, will cause a further mass exodus from the party. People will not tolerate a Republican party that is anti-American, anti-Free Speech and who continue to undermine the electoral process laid out by the founding fathers and the Constitution.

BE IT DECLARED, that the undersigned request the Republican National Committee to support fair election procedures, as well as the views and desires of its members and American citizens, by allowing Congressman Ron Paul full participation in all future debates and election events as a Republican National Committee candidate.

Mom’s being really brave and driving the bus through Connecticut, through the highway right around the city. I’m so proud of her. : ) She is doing great. We’re headed home now, and I won’t post this until we get home. Wireless is a beautiful thing.

We had a packed weekend of concerts and a few nice surprises a long the way!

We sang at our normal stop, Modern Maturity in Delaware and ate a delicious meal after with 500 seniors and picked up the drum stool we left their last time. So now we’re carrying three drum stools and no drummer. ; )

Hannah girl likes taking pictures.

Once in a while we actually catch a candid shot. ;-)

That evening we went to set up for the next concert in NJ. As we were out talking to Daniel a big converted coach drives by on the road with a trailer. Interesting. This is important because a few minutes before the concert starts this rather large looking family is at the back of the church. It was the Wissmanns from Nebraska! It was their bus! For those who don’t know about them, the Wissmanns are a large music family who travel and sing, and sing quite well if I do say so! I enjoy listening to their cd a lot. Some of us wanted to go rush em’ and shake hands and all, but mom made us stay seated. : P We had not met them previously in person before this, only through the computer and a few phone calls. They were really neat to meet and greet afterward. We had a great time!! If you are reading this you guys, thanks again for coming and singing a song for us! We enjoyed your short visit!

Mrs. Wissmann was out putting the little babies to sleep so she missed this picture. : (

The busses…

Daniel and Abigail came on Saturday night.

Guess who came to our Sunday morning concert? ; ) We made it over to Mantua in good time and set up. It was great being back, but it felt a little different since we hadn’t been on the road 6-7 weeks before we got there. But, we are all still ready to go home, the last week is always like that. : P It’s gotta be a mental thing.

Melody E. and Daniel took pics…..

Thanks guys. : )

Afterward, Pastor E told us a joke….to get us smiling for our annual photo…

Ok, cheese everyone!

We said goodbye and left. As we traveled we discussed all the experiences we had on this trip and said this was definitely a fun trip! We enjoyed the hospitality of so many nice people, met new friends and enjoyed the company of old ones. We are delighted as the Lord has blessed us with so many sweet people.

Of course I’ve been somewhat lazy about writing down as they happen. You may have noticed my plan of logging isn’t working like I thought it would. : P I’m sitting here and listening to my siblings practice and play while we’re on the side of the road. Yes. We are on the side of the road. Nothing like a breakdown to make you start writing. Haha. This morning we left Birmingham, AL and headed north. Around 10ish Vincent commented about a noise he heard coming from the engine area. We stopped and they concluded the air compressor was the culprit. We drove for a few more minutes and listened to the engine at different speeds. After a truck honked at us and we smelled something funny, like burning, and dad pulled over again. We found a oil trail from the road and a huge puddle of oil under the bus. I had just got finished reading about David and Goliath this morning And, we got to see Facing the Giants just recently. God is bigger than all the bus break down giants, that is for sure. Vincent got all greasy and we all waited a little nervously as he disassembled the compressor. See, this problem could have ruined the engine as well. We wouldn’t know until the compressor was off. Wondering how and if we would be able to find the parts, who could bring them to us and how this was going to effect the rest of the trip, was going through our heads. The attitude was good, but a little apprehensive as well. We all sighed in relief and praised God when Vincent brought news it was just the compressor and the engine had survived, unscathed. Praise the King!

Oily, eh?

We got on the phone and found our parts guy on the ground in Jersey had the part for $150 plus shipping overnight (that was more than the part, btw!). Woohoo! Soon after we got off the phone two men in a truck pulled up behind us. The driver, Tony S., had filled in for a rather famous quartet a while back and had empathy for us. On his first tour with his group the bus broke down! He agreed to have the part shipped to him and deliver it to us and so dad called the parts guy back to order. Lord willing, by 10am tomorrow morning the part will be here in Alabama. Tony’s mom made us a big pot of supper and Tony and his pastor brought it by last night. Isn’t God good?

Lately I’ve been feeling extraordinarily blessed. I eat three meals a day (and more), I have the coolest family (not like I’m partial or anything : P ), I know the creator of the world, and besides all the other blessings, like health, work, and the ability to work and be creative, I have the promise that God will go with and guide me through the rest of life. It makes me very happy to know God cares and He‘s not going to leave me. It’s a really comforting thought and makes me happy.

I should back up and finished telling you all about our exploits in Kentucky and Tennessee! We had a great time the last few days in Kentucky. At our last concert the R’s came with some friends.

So, how many of you would like a mic cord necklace and crown? ;-)

It’s the in thing. Like totally.

We ate a wonderful breakfast the next morning with the pastor of the church. It was delicious. The R’s met s there to drop food off and we had a nice time of fellowship.

Bonnie and Mrs. R

Our next stop, Tennessee!

It was really pretty (and curvy!) as we drove down the mountain into the valley of Cowen, TN.

Can you guess we stopped at the overlook? J

We enjoyed the hospitality of the H family for a few days. We were going to have a jam/picking on Friday at their church but we ended up doing a very informal concert. I do believe this was one of the few blue jeans and t-shirt concerts that we’ve allowed!

Now, the H family had a little month old baby who was very popular. She was never wanting for people to hold her!!

We headed out from Tennessee toward Alabama, the most southern concert of this trip. We stopped at America’s thrift store in Alamaba. After I had become bored of shopping, tired and hungry (this was around supper time) I started to look around for everyone else. I didn’t notice everyone else had made their purchases and left without me! About this time I heard the bus start and I quickly got in the check out line. : P Dad was releasing the break as I walked quickly toward the bus. Hehe. Phew. Close one. ; -) Nah. Vincent said he was going to speak up if someone didn’t notice I was missing soon. : ) Thanks buddy.

We got to see Mrs. S, her daughter and friend at the morning concert!

Our evening concert went fine. Here’s the inside….

And, one of Vincent outside in the setting sun light.

Bonnie got some footage of the concert…maybe we’ll see that on youtube.com some day!

That kinda brings us up to what happened this morning. We stayed at Flying J overnight and then set out for NC, only, now we have a slight delay!

October 301307 CDTOn the road again!

Wow. Mr. Tony brought the part this morning, It was the right kind of compressor, Vincent installed it and we are back on the road! Praise God for His marvelous provision. No one else stopped to helped us the whole 24+ hours we were on the side of the road, not even a police officer! After some more conversation we found out Tony saw the bus and our name the first time but he was going by at 85 mph but he was going too fast to stop. So, he turned around and came back. This was a four lane highway with jersey barriers in between. Thank you, Tony! We thank God for sending you!

On route 20 out of Alabama into Georgia we saw THREE Ron Paul for president signs!!!!! Two on a billboard and one sign. We were pretty excited! GO RON PAUL!!!

November 11000 EDTAt a rest area in Virginia

We had a great concert last night! We ate pizza before with the church folks and then sang to an almost full house. Bonnie’s song continues to make folks cry.

About Me

I'm a wife and mommy. I married Seth in August 2011. Joanna Joy was born in August 2012 and Lydia Jean born April 2014. We moved to Alabama in 2013. I traveled for 10 years in music ministry with my family. Free downloads of our music are still available at www.macdonaldfamilysingers.com.